Convicted sex offender accused of lewd act on Pawleys Island

By Scott HarperFor South Strand News

A 73-year-old Conway man - already on the state's Sex Offender Registry - was arrested after allegedly exposing himself to an 11-year-old girl on Pawleys Island.

Lester Roy Beckett, of Rush Road in Conway, is charged with “exposure of private parts in a lewd and lascivious manner,” according to jail records.

According to a Pawleys Island Police report, the father of the girl said his daughter was riding her bicycle on the North Causeway on April 23 when she was approached by a man in a white pickup truck who asked her for directions to “Main Street.”

The man then asked the girl, “do you know what I am doing?” He answered his own question by saying he was masturbating.

The report states the girl saw him performing the act.

The girl then rode her bike home and told her father what happened. He then went looking for the suspect and called 911.

Using the license plate cameras located on the island, Pawleys Island police were able to get the license tag number of the man's truck and notified area law enforcement agencies to be on the lookout for the vehicle.

On April 25, Horry County deputies located Beckett and placed him under arrest, the report states.

A Pawleys Island officer transported Beckett from the J. Reuben Long Detention Center in Conway to the Georgetown County Detention Center. The officer read Beckett his Miranda Rights and asked if he wanted to make a statement. Beckett said “no,” according to the officer.

Because of a medical condition, officers at the Georgetown County jail would not allow Beckett to be housed at that facility, so the officer transported him back to his home.

Beckett did show up for his bond hearing April 26 and was given a bail of $1,000.

According to the Sex Offender Registry, Beckett was convicted in Virginia in Jan. 2008 on the charge of “Taking Indecent Liberties with Minor.” He was released from jail in Feb. 2009.

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